It seems I am on a journey towards having a ‘Haplo’ (half match) stem cell transplant - with one of my three adult children being the donor. I would be so interested to hear from anyone who has had this type of transplant - it all feels scary right now……
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No, I haven’t @Ledgell but I am sure that it all feels scary right now,
I think that the unknown really is.
I would be having so many thoughts, feelings, questions and practicalities whizzing around right now.
Perhaps writing down everything you would like to ask declutters the brain a bit.
Don’t forget the Blood Cancer UK support line is there for you on 0808 2080 888.
I will copy your post to the Blood Cancer UK nurse advisors in case they can help at all @BloodCancerUK_Nurses.
We are here for you as well.
Have you any support?
The main thing is that you look after yourself and be kind to yourself.
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Hi there @Ledgell
I don’t know much about Haplo transplants. We are other way around as it were. My 20 year old daughter has Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and I have had bloods to be a possible haplo match if other options do not progress.
I think it’s more positive to receive a haplo your way around in that the younger the stem cells the better. It is a huge thing to go through. There is not a day goes by that I don’t feel scared so your feelings are perfectly understandable. Try to take each day as it comes - easier said on some days rather than others. Things can also change so rapidly that we place our trust and confidence in the consultant team and then think - this is the best option and so we will go with it and want it to work.
Booking a call with one of the specialist nurses via @BloodCancerUK here is something I would advise. I have done so and find the calls super supportive and reassuring.
Sending you lots of positive vibes
Sarah 
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Erica - thank you. You’re right - there are SO many thoughts, feelings, questions…
I am currently having counselling each week from Bupa (through MacMillan) which helps a little - although I am over half way through the six-week block of sessions already. I am hoping that I will get support from the psychologist at Bart’s if I have a transplant - their service took me 10 weeks to access, so I’m not holding my breath!
I am so grateful for your prompt reply and look forward to hearing if your nurse advisors have any thoughts.
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Sarah - thank you. I would love to hear how your journey with this progresses, please do keep in touch if you can.
It must be so worrying for you, watching your lovely daughter cope with all the twists and turns of Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Taking a day at a time is the ONLY thing we can do, isn’t it…but still so hard not to take a sneaky peek at what lies ahead sometimes!
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Indeed. At the moment, she has some donor options. 1) a 9 out of 10 match. 2) cord bloods with a 6 out of 8 and 3) me (as an older haplo)
Option 1 is progressing atm and we go to our transplant meeting on 04.08.23. This will confirm which option is the most viable. Will keep you posted. Likewise, do stay in touch and keep smiling
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Good luck. I can only speak from my own experience - I had a stem cell transplant for Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in Feb 2020, and asked about having a haplo from one of my children. I was advised that this would only be considered in the event that a suitable, better matched, donor could not be found. Happily a 10/10 match from an unrelated donor was found in time and everything went ahead smoothly. Here I am, well and with entirely normal bloods, three and a half years later. It’s not all plain sailing, but it won’t be anything like as bad as your imagination suggests!
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